Urban Meyer Retires

Chris Gaitten

Tuesday

Dec 4, 2018 at 10:03 AM

Ohio State's head football coach to step aside for offensive coordinator Ryan Day

What a long, strange season it’s been. Going into Big Ten Media Days this July, it seemed nearly unthinkable that Ohio State’s Urban Meyer would be entering his final 14-game stretch as the Buckeyes’ coach. That unlikely scenario has come to pass, though, as the university released word that Meyer will hold a press conference at 2 p.m. today to officially announce his retirement. Fans can watch a live stream of the press conference here.

The announcement comes on the heels of recent speculation about his future after it came to light that he has been battling painful headaches due to a congenital arachnoid cyst on his brain. But the season has been challenging from the start, after Meyer was engulfed by the controversy surrounding domestic abuse allegations against former assistant coach Zach Smith, which gained steam after Big Ten Media Days. Offensive coordinator Ryan Day, who took the interim role for the first three games of the season in Meyer’s absence, will take over head coaching duties after Meyer’s final game against the University of Washington in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.

On a long day in August, Columbus Monthly was there as the university board of trustees debated Meyer’s future and his punishment related to the Smith controversy. Read our story "Inside Urban Meyer's 13-hour Judgment Day" here.